Three people were killed and thirteen others injured by gunfire in a confrontation between anti-government protesters and soldiers stationed at a military base in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov says.

On Wednesday evening, a group of several dozen protesters arrived
at the base, located in the turbulent Donetsk region.

They called on the troops to abandon the base, but the soldiers
didn't listen, the demonstrators said.

Instead, the troops opened fire at the protesters, injuring at
least four people. One of them took a bullet in his chest and is
in serious condition, according to protesters.

Some local media said the protesters were armed with Molotov
cocktails, which they used in the confrontation.

Media reports also say that several stray bullets hit two
apartments in a nearby resident building, shattered a window, and
pierced a gas pipeline.

The crowd retreated after the shooting started. The city’s
website said that clashes have moved from the base to surrounding
areas, adding that single shots can be heard near the local
hospital.

Ukraine’s security service and Mariupol police conducted a joint
operation at around 1 a.m. local time, according to Mariupol’s
website, detaining dozens of people.

Protester chatter blames unidentified provocateurs for the
shooting. Demonstrators say a group of people arrived at the
protester-held City Hall of Mariupol and called on people staying
there to go to the military base to try to seize it.